This study is on
the prophetic interpretation of The Feeding of
the Five Thousand (Matt. 14:1-36), which is the
feeding of the “multitudes” immediately before
the Separation takes place. The multitudes
typify those in the Church who are awakened by
the Midnight Cry and begin the process of coming
out of the cities and walking with Jesus. The
cities in Scripture are a type of the world
system. The multitudes of the Church are
currently caught up in the affairs of the world,
or the world system, but at the time of the
Midnight Cry the multitudes in the Church will
hear the Midnight Cry and come out of the world
system. Note:
Generally, a Christian must first understand
prophetic events in the literal interpretation
of Scripture before he is able to see them in
the prophetic interpretation. The prophetic
interpretation of Scripture requires a deep
understanding of typology in Scripture and the
ability to distinguish between the literal and
figurative meaning of words in the Scriptures.
Also, the prophetic interpretation does not
introduce new doctrine, but simply expounds and
amplifies the literal teachings on prophecy in
Scripture. This is why literal prophecies should
be understood first before studying the
prophetic interpretation. The Midnight
Cry is, of course, “The Bridegroom Cometh” so
they will hear this message, and begin the
process of coming out of the world to be
disciples of Jesus Christ. At the time of the
Midnight Cry, the multitudes are desperately
hungry for a meal of bread, and some meat to go
along with it. It is up to the disciples of
Jesus—the Philadelphia Church—to provide this
great feeding of the multitudes just before the
departure of these disciples occurs. Of course,
the departure is the Separation of these
disciples of Jesus from the multitudes.
Consequently, the feeding of the multitudes must
take place immediately before the Separation or
Firstfruits Rapture takes place. We only have
five small loaves and two fish, but it will be
sufficient to feed everyone one good meal when
it is blessed and multiplied by Jesus Christ.
I believe that
Christ will utilize the Internet to take the
five small loaves and two fish, and multiply it
rapidly enough to feed the multitudes of the
Church. I believe that Christ will do this
during a very short period of time to satisfy
and fill everyone in the Church with one good
meal of bread and meat just before the
Separation takes place. A teaching by one person
can be rapidly multiplied in the process of
E-mail. For example, I send a message to a
hundred people, and each of these has the
capability of sending the same message to many
others, and then those who receive that message
can send it to still others, etc. In the
process, one message can literally be multiplied
or sent out to millions of people in a matter of
days or weeks. I believe the feeding of the
multitudes will take place first, and then the
Separation will occur. We will now
begin our teaching on the prophetic
interpretation of the feeding of the five
thousand, which is found in the fourteenth
chapter of Matthew. (Mat 14:1
KJV) At that time Herod the tetrarch
heard of the fame of Jesus, Prophetically,
“At that time” would be the time for the
Midnight Cry to go up and awaken the sleeping
virgins. Herod is the king over the Jews (i.e.,
spiritual Jews or the Church), so Herod typifies
the leaders of the Church, or the “Goodman of
the house” in the following Scripture: (Mat 24:42 KJV) Watch therefore:
for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.(Mat 24:43 KJV) But know this,
that if the goodman of the house had known in
what watch the thief would come, he would have
watched, and would not have suffered his house
to be broken up. The leaders of
the Church today are the Laodicean church. It is
a fact that the Laodicean church has bound the
Church hand and foot, and put it in the dungeon
of darkness to the truths of the Second Coming
of Christ for His bride. The Church leaders have
not taught the deeper truths of Scripture on the
Separation (i.e., the Firstfruits Rapture), the
difference between spirit and soul salvation,
requirements for entrance into the kingdom of
God, and the importance of rewards in the
kingdom. The “goodman” of the house has failed
miserably in feeding the flock of God. The
goodman of the house does not know the watch in
which the thief (i.e., Jesus) will come, or he
would have watched, and not allowed the Church
to be split up or separated. We will see
that the body of John the Baptist is a type of
the body of Christ. The head is a type of the
Philadelphia church, which will be separated
from the body, and the body will be buried in
the earth (i.e., left upon the earth), while the
head will be presented before the court without
the body. This is a picture of the Separation of
the five wise virgins (i.e., the thinking
virgins) from the five foolish virgins (the
unthinking virgins). The prophetic
paraphrase of verse 1 is as follows: (Mat 14:1 Prophetic Paraphrase) At the
predetermined time the Laodicean Church, the
most powerful of the four end time churches,
heard the report of the coming of Jesus,
(i.e., the Bridegroom cometh). The Greek word
for “fame” means “report” and pertains to the
Midnight Cry about Jesus. The name Herod means
heroic and refers to those in the Church who are
the outward heroes. The Greek word for tetrarch
comes from two Greek words meaning “four” and
“first in political rank or power.” There are
four end-time churches of Thyatira, Sardis,
Philadelphia and Laodicea, and Laodicea is the
first in political power in the Church. It is
Laodicea (i.e., the political powerhouse in the
Church) that hears the Report of the Midnight
Cry first, but it is too late to be part of the
Five Wise Virgins. It is ironic that Laodicea
will awaken to the truths of the Separation
before Sardis and Thyatira, yet will still miss
the Firstfruits Rapture. (Mat 14:2 KJV) And said unto his
servants, This is John the Baptist; he is
risen from the dead; and therefore mighty
works do show forth themselves in him. (Mat 14:2 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
Laodicea said unto its members, you are the
gracious gift of God, baptized in the spirit,
and the power and influence belonging to
riches and wealth, and the power and resources
arising from numbers do manifest themselves in
you. It is the
Laodicean church that exercises the most control
and political power over the Church. It is the
Laodicean church that controls the prophetic
teaching that is allowed among the Church body.
The church of Philadelphia has very little power
and authority in the Church, and the main body
of the Church does not listen to Philadelphia.
It is the
Laodicean church (i.e., Herod) that states to
its members, “You are the body of Christ (i.e.,
the Church) and have been raised from the dead,
and now mighty works or miracles are being
manifested in you.” The Laodicean
church has been greatly deceived by false
doctrine into believing that the Church is very
much alive, and many miracles of healing,
speaking in tongues, prophetic utterances, etc.
are being manifested in the Church. The truth is
that the body of Christ (i.e., John the Baptist
in type) has been “laid hold on” by
Laodicea (i.e., Herod), and bound hand and foot
in the darkness of the dungeon. Being bound hand
and foot means that the Church as a whole has
been kept from working effectively for the Lord
(i.e., the binding of the hands) or from having
a faithful walk (i.e., the binding of the feet)
with the Lord. The head of John the Baptist
typifies the faithful Philadelphia Church, but
she has also been ineffective in teaching the
Word of God to the multitudes because she has
been ostracized and ignored by the charismatic
Laodicean church. The head of John the Baptist
typifies the Philadelphia church, but it has
been silenced in the dungeon by the Laodicean
church. The Philadelphia church has been
relegated to meeting in homes, and is not a
voice in the Church today. The
Philadelphia church teaches the truth of the
Word of God, but the church of Laodicea would
rather hear about angelic visitations, visions,
miracles, and prophetic utterances than learn
the truth from the Word of God. Laodicea (i.e.,
Herod) thinks that it is doing a mighty
wonderful work in bringing the Church to life in
performing miraculous healings, speaking in
tongues, speaking forth new revelations, and
doing many miraculous works. Unfortunately, it
is Laodicea that has bound the Church and kept
it from working in the power of the spirit. Even
Philadelphia—the repository of spiritual
truth—is silenced in the dungeon, while the
daughter of the Babylonian Mystery Religion
(i.e., Herodias) is free to deceive Herod by
enticing him with her evil dance. We will see
later that the word for dance means to depart
from the ranklike or regular motion, and it
typifies the melodramatic behavior that has
ensnared the Laodicean church. The Greek word
for “mighty works” in verse 2 above is as
follows: 1411
dunamis- strength power,
abilitya) inherent
power, power residing in a thing by virtue of
its nature, or which a person or thing exerts
and puts forthb) power for
performing miraclesc) moral power
and excellence of sould) the power
and influence which belong to riches and wealthe) power and
resources arising from numbersf) power
consisting in or resting upon armies, forces,
hosts The Laodicean
church has confused the last three definitions
of this word with the first three definitions.
The first three are the true power of the Holy
Spirit, but the Laodicean church has substituted
the last three definitions. Consequently, the
Laodicean church thinks that it is working in
the power of the Spirit, but in actuality, it is
wretched, miserable, poor, naked and blind, as
stated by Jesus Christ to Laodicea in the
following Scripture: (Rev 3:17 KJV) Because thou
sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing; and knowest not that
thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked: Unfortunately,
Laodicea will not awaken to its spiritual
poverty until the Separation takes place, and
she is left behind to go through the tribulation
period. (Mat 14:3 KJV) For Herod had laid
hold on John, and bound him, and put him in
prison for Herodias' sake, his brother
Philip's wife. Laodicea—the
politically powerful Church—has laid hold onto
the Church and exerted its power over the Church
and bound it hand and foot. The Greek word for
“laid hold” is as follows: 2902
krateo-1) to have
power, to be powerful,to be chief, to
be master of, to rule2) to get
possession ofa) to become
master of, to obtainb) to take hold
ofc) to take hold
of, to take, to seize,to lay hands on
one in order to get him into one's power Herodias is a
type of the Babylonian Mystery Religion that
inserted leaven or false teaching into the
doctrines of the Church. These false teachings
were inserted into the Church during the age of
Thyatira (i.e., Herodias). The daughter of
Herodias typifies further false doctrines in the
Church inserted by Laodicea at the turn of the
century. Laodicea represents the Pentecostal and
charismatic churches that came into prominence
at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Laodicea is the last church age before the
Return of Christ. As stated above, these false
doctrines pertain to the power that has been
usurped by Laodicea as a result of the power
attributed to the following: 1.
The
power and influence which belong to riches and
wealth2.
The
power and resources arising from numbers (Mat 14:3
Prophetic Paraphrase) For Laodicea had seized
power over the Church, and bound it from
watching during the night for Jesus. The method
of distraction was the melodramatic behavior and
language (i.e., tongues) that enthralled
Laodicea. Herodias
typifies the same mystery religion that deceived
Thyatira. Power and wealth seduced both
churches, just as Herodias and her daughter
seduced both Philip and Herod. The brother of
Herod, Philip, means “lover of horses” and
horses symbolize pagan luxury, and dependence
upon physical power instead of spiritual power.
Thyatira was deceived by the same false
religious system that has captivated Laodicea.
Philip is the type for Thyatira. Thyatira is the
Catholic Church and continues to be caught up in
the trappings of wealth and power that has now
deceived Laodicea—the Pentecostal church. Herodias means
heroics, which pertains to the melodramatic or
emotional behavior and emphasis on speaking in
tongues that binds the Laodicean church. The
charismatic church of today has tremendous
wealth and power by reason of its numbers, and
they think that this is a sign of true
spirituality. This is quite the contrary to what
Jesus tells Laodicea: (Rev 3:17 KJV) Because thou
sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing; and knowest not that
thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked: (Mat 14:4 KJV) For John said unto
him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. The
Philadelphia church as the truthful mouthpiece
of God has spoken out against the false doctrine
of Laodicea (i.e., the influence of the daughter
of Herodias). Philadelphia has told Laodicea
about the false teachings in Laodicea, but
Laodicea refuses to listen. Laodicea is greatly
deceived by the emotional highs—not spiritual
highs—that she experiences and by the power and
influence that belong to riches and wealth. This
power and wealth arise from the sheer numbers in
the Laodicean church. (Mat 14:5 KJV) And when he would
have put him to death, he feared the
multitude, because they counted him as a
prophet. Laodicea would
have destroyed and silenced Philadelphia
completely, except there were too many
unorganized small groups scattered here and
there that looked to Philadelphia as an
expounder of the truth. There are many
individuals and small unorganized home churches
that look to Philadelphia for the truth of the
Word of God. Philadelphia seeks the truth from
the Word of God. Laodicea seeks power and
influence from wealth and emotional experience.
Philadelphia relies on the Word of God. Laodicea
relies on its experience. Laodicea seeks after
the miraculous and the exciting. Philadelphia
seeks Truth in both of its forms: The Living
Word and The Written Word. I have had
Laodicean Christians accuse me of “mental
gymnastics and parsing of the Scriptures”
because I study the Bible in depth. These same
Christians vehemently assert that they know what
they have experienced in speaking in tongues.
They rely on their experience over what the
Bible states. The truth is they do not study the
Bible to find out what it teaches. This is why
Laodiceans disparage those who do study the
Scriptures. To them “parsing the Scriptures”
carries a negative connotation, but I am honored
by this accusation. To parse the Scriptures
means to examine them closely and to subject
them to detailed analysis. God delights in
Christians who parse the Scriptures. The
following verse confirms this to be true: (2 Tim 2:15 KJV) Study to show
thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth. (Mat 14:6 KJV) But when Herod's
birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias
danced before them, and pleased Herod. (Mat 14:6 Prophetic Paraphrase) But
when the Age of Laodicea came, the offshoot
(i.e., daughter of Herodias) of the Babylonian
Mystery Religion (i.e., Herodias) departed
from the rank like and regular motion (i.e.,
danced) of the Philadelphia church and excited
the emotions (i.e., pleased) of those who
birthed the Laodicean church (i.e., Herod). The
Philadelphia church age was in full blossom
until around the turn of the century when the
Pentecostal movement departed from the boring
and mundane activity of Bible study for the more
exciting activities of ritualistic dance and the
miraculous gifts of the Spirit. The Pentecostal
movement brought excitement into the Church with
its charismatic preachers who incited the
emotions of Christians with the so-called power
gifts of the Spirit. Christians began to flock
to these churches in droves seeking after the
miraculous and the supernatural. The primary
emphasis was the excitation of the emotions by
feigned supernatural activities. The sign gifts
of miraculous healing and speaking in tongues
were “revived”, but since these sign gifts of
the Spirit actually ceased in 70A.D. the revived
gifts had to be fraudulent copies of the
original true gifts. There are many Christians
who sincerely think that they are performing all
of these antics in the power of the spirit. The
following Scripture confirms this, as they will
actually offer their testimony to Jesus at the
Judgment Seat of Christ: (Mat 7:21 KJV) Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the
will of my Father which is in heaven.(Mat 7:22 KJV) Many will say to
me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have
cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works?(Mat 7:23 KJV) And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity. (Mat 14:7 KJV) Whereupon he
promised with an oath to give her whatsoever
she would ask. (Mat 14:7 Prophetic Paraphrase)
Wherefore, Laodicea covenanted with the false
religious system to provide whatever she
desired. The modern
offshoot of the Babylonian Mystery Religion is
the false doctrine of the Laodicean church, and
this religious system has as its purpose the
destruction of the Church. This will result in
the splitting up of the Church where the
faithful part of the Church is typified by the
head of John the Baptist, and the rest of the
Church is typified by the body of John the
Baptist. There is going to be a “cutting
asunder”, (i.e., Separation) of the head from
the body. The head (i.e., faithful Philadelphia)
will be presented in the court, while the
separated body (i.e., the rest of the Church) is
left upon the earth. The main body of the church
will go underground in hiding from the
Antichrist and his persecution of Christians.
This going underground by the main body of the
Church is typified by the burial of the body of
John the Baptist. (Mat 14:8 KJV) And she, being
before instructed of her mother, said, Give me
here John Baptist's head in a charger. (Mat 14:8
Prophetic Paraphrase) And it was the false
religious system that had its origin in the
Babylonian Mystery Religion that brought to
the forefront the Philadelphia Church to be
presented at court in a prominent and
honored position. Even though the
purpose of the false religious system was to
destroy the Church, it resulted in the
exaltation of the Philadelphia church to an
honored and prominent position in the court of
the king, Jesus Christ. It is important to note
that the name Herod is dropped in the following,
and the phrase “the king” is used. This is
important as the focus in the prophetic
interpretation changes from the deceived
Laodicean Church to the King, our Lord Jesus
Christ. (Mat 14:9 KJV) And the king was
sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and
them which sat with him at meat, he commanded
it to be given her.(Mat 14:9 Prophetic Paraphrase) And the
King, Jesus Christ, was grieved that the
Separation must take place. Nevertheless,
because of the sacred limits placed on the
Church about faithfulness, and the faithful
few who fellowshipped with him at the same
table, and fed upon the Word of God, He
commanded the Separation to take place. In the Olivet
Discourse, Jesus Christ describes in detail the
Separation and the necessity of watching for His
return. Jesus warned that if the Church did not
watch and prepare, then the unfaithful ones
would be cut asunder or separated. Even though
it grieves Him to temporarily split the Church,
it must take place, as He has made a promise
(i.e., oath) that He would do it. This is very
much akin to the parent who warns his children
to be obedient or they will be punished. It
grieves the parent when the children are
disobedient and do not heed the warning.
However, the parent must adhere to the promise
he made because of the oath and because of the
children who heeded the warning and were
obedient. (Mat 14:10 KJV) And he sent, and
beheaded John in the prison. (Mat 14:10 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
Jesus Christ sent, and separated Philadelphia
in its watching. The Greek word
for prison literally means “a watching” or
“keeping watch” from the guards that keep watch
over the prisoners, and this is the primary
criterion for being taken in the Separation of
the faithful from the unfaithful. (Mat 14:11 KJV) And his head was
brought in a charger, and given to the damsel:
and she brought it to her mother. (Mat 14:11 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
Philadelphia was brought in to a prominent and
honorable position, and bestowed with the
honor due the chaste virgin, and she credited
the source of her spirituality, the Holy
Spirit. The Greek word
for charger means a flat surface used as a
molding board. It is the wise virgins—the true
thinking part of the Church—who allowed
themselves to be molded into the image of
Christ. Consequently, those members of the
Church typified by the head will be presented in
the court of King Jesus as the chaste virgin
that Paul talked about in the following
Scripture: (2 Cor 11:2 KJV) For I am jealous
over you with godly jealousy: for I have
espoused you to one husband, that I may
present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.(2 Cor 11:3
KJV) But I fear, lest by any means, as
the serpent beguiled Eve through his
subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ. There are many
Christians who are beguiled (i.e., deceived) by
the antics of the Laodicean church. It does not
require the moving of the Holy Spirit for
Christians to be worked up into an emotional
frenzy. The Laodicean church employs loud music,
illusions of the miraculous and religious
rhetoric to do this. Religious rhetoric is
language that is elaborate, pretentious,
insincere, and intellectually vacuous. Even
unsaved people work themselves up into an
emotional frenzy with loud music and rhetoric
that stimulate the emotions. The reliance on
the emotional side of religiosity is the reason
that women make up a large portion of the
leadership—including teaching and pastoral
duties—in the Laodicean church. God forbids
women from serving as pastors and teachers of
doctrine in the church, but the Laodicean church
has ignored this precept. (Mat 14:12 KJV) And his disciples
came, and took up the body, and buried it, and
went and told Jesus. (Mat 14:12 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
disciples were raised up from their defeat,
and they died to self, and they went forth and
proclaimed Jesus.After the
Separation takes place, numerous disciples will
be raised up to faithfulness, and they will
crucify their old flesh natures. They will
proclaim Jesus Christ in spite of the
persecutions that will be taking place. Many
will be martyred for their faith and their
proclamation of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
All of this will take place in the first half of
the seven-year tribulation period, as the main
body of the Church will be raptured in the
middle of the tribulation period. (Mat 14:13 KJV) When Jesus heard
of it, he departed thence by ship into a
desert place apart: and when the people had
heard thereof, they followed him on foot out
of the cities. (Mat 14:13 Prophetic Paraphrase) When
Jesus heard the Midnight Cry, He departed His
duties as High Priest, and separated himself
from the main body of the Church. When the
main body of the Church heard the Midnight
Cry, they followed Him, and walked with Him
and left the world system. It is not until
after the midnight cry goes up that the main
body of the Church will pay attention to
teaching that Jesus is coming for His bride. It
will be too late at that time for the
Firstfruits Rapture and the main body will be
left to go through the tribulation period. Many
will depart from the world system at that time
and begin to walk in the footsteps of Jesus
Christ. The cities of the earth typify the world
system. Lot is a type of the unfaithful
Christian and he lived in Sodom. This means that
he was ensnared by the world system. Many
Christians are currently caught up in the world
system, and most will remain there until the
midnight cry goes up. This is when many will
realize their spiritual poverty and begin to
walk with Jesus. Unfortunately,
this will be a time when Jesus has turned the
Church over to Antichrist, and Jesus will not be
active in the Church at that time. Jesus will
allow Antichrist to do the winnowing and
threshing to separate the chaff from the wheat.
(Mat 14:14 KJV) And Jesus went
forth, and saw a great multitude, and was
moved with compassion toward them, and he
healed their sick. (Mat 14:14
Prophetic Paraphrase) And Jesus went forth
at the time of the ingathering (i.e., the
Rapture), and judged the main body of the
Church with love and compassion, and totally
cleansed them from their sin.Note: The
prophetic interpretation of this passage of
Scripture follows the Semitic style of
apocalyptic writing just as most of the Bible.
This style of writing first provides an overview
of the sequence of events being addressed, and
then it goes back and provides details that take
place in the overview. Verse 14 above concludes
the prophetic overview, and verse 15 below
begins the details that will take place at the
midnight cry. (Mat 14:15 KJV) And when it was
evening, his disciples came to him, saying,
This is a desert place, and the time is now
past; send the multitude away, that they may
go into the villages, and buy themselves
victuals. (Mat 14:15 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
when it was almost midnight, the faithful
Philadelphia church came to Jesus and said,
the Church Age is over. The Church has become
dry and barren, so put away (i.e., divorce or
separate) those who have been unfaithful, so
they can awaken to the truths of Scripture,
and they can go and perform works that will
make them a faithful group. This verse is
parallel with the five wise virgins beckoning
for Jesus to come and separate the faithful from
the unfaithful. The Church Age is over, and the
Church has become very dry and desolate. The
great majority of the Church are without
spiritual food, and they are wretched,
miserable, poor, blind, and naked. The pastors
in the Church have failed miserably in their
assignment to feed the flock, and the Church is
without the extra measure of oil spoken of in
the parable of the ten virgins. It is time for
the Separation to take place, but there is an
insignificant little boy who has had the
foresight to bring along five small loaves and
two fishes, just enough to feed a few people.
The Separation will take place just as
scheduled, but there is to be a grand feeding of
the main body of the Church just before it does.
(Mat 14:16 KJV) But Jesus said
unto them, They need not depart; give ye them
to eat. (Mat 14:16 Prophetic Paraphrase) But
Jesus said to the faithful that before the
Separation takes place, the main body of the
Church must be fed a good measure of the Word
of God, including the milk of the Word and the
meat of the Word. (Mat 14:17 KJV) And they say unto
him, We have here but five loaves, and two
fishes. (Mat 14:17 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
the faithful Philadelphia church said to
Jesus, “We only have a small number of
exegetical discourses on the basic doctrines,
and a few teachings on the deeper truths in
Scripture. (Mat 14:18 KJV) He said, Bring
them hither to me. (Mat 14:18 Prophetic Paraphrase) Jesus
said, let me have this small number of
discourses on basic doctrines and the
teachings on the deeper truths. (Mat 14:19 KJV) And he commanded
the multitude to sit down on the grass, and
took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and
looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake,
and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the
disciples to the multitude.(Mat 14:19 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
Jesus commanded the main body of the Church to
cease their meaningless activity and to come
into the enriching favor of God. And Jesus
took the discourses on basic doctrine, and the
teachings on the deeper truths of Scripture.
He then repeated it numerous times through the
air, and prospered it, and multiplied it to
disciples all over the world, and the
disciples in turn sent it to the main body of
the Church all over the world. (Mat 14:20 KJV) And they did all
eat, and were filled: and they took up of the
fragments that remained twelve baskets full.(Mat 14:20 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
all segments of the Church received the
teachings, and read and studied them, and they
took in as much as they were able to receive.
And the main body of the Church appropriated
the teachings for distribution to the Jews and
Gentiles during the coming famine of the Word
of God. The five loaves
and two fishes are for the main body of the
Church at the time of the Firstfruits Rapture.
The remaining twelve baskets of fragments are
for the Jews during the tribulation period.
Twelve is the number of earthly government,
which is for the Jews. Five is the number of
grace and typifies spirit salvation for the
Church. Two is the number of testimony and
separation. The five and the two are seven and
typify spiritual perfection. (Mat 14:21 KJV) And they that had
eaten were about five thousand men, beside
women and children. (Mat 14:21 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
they that had received and understood the
teachings represented every denomination and
segment of the Church, virgins, yet still
immature in their walk with God. (Mat 14:22 KJV) And straightway
Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a
ship, and to go before him unto the other
side, while he sent the multitudes away. (Mat 14:22 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
immediately after the grand feeding of the
main body of the Church, Jesus compelled the
faithful disciples into their new redeemed
bodies to be transported into heaven, while he
dismissed the multitude as yet unfit for the
kingdom. (Mat 14:23 KJV) And when he had
sent the multitudes away, he went up into a
mountain apart to pray: and when the evening
was come, he was there alone. (Mat 14:23
Prophetic Paraphrase) And when Jesus had
separated the main body of the Church, He
ascended the throne of the kingdom of God,
which was His alone. And when midnight was
come, He was married to His bride and became
one with her.Note: The
above verse ends the details about the
Separation and the grand feeding of the Church
just before the Separation takes place, and
Jesus marries His bride. The focus now turns to
the earth and those who were left behind in the
Church to use the teachings that they had
received just before the Separation took place.
(Mat 14:24 KJV) But the ship was
now in the midst of the sea, tossed with
waves: for the wind was contrary. (Mat 14:24 Prophetic Paraphrase) Now,
those in the household of faith (i.e., those
in the ship of salvation) were in the midst of
the nations, and they were tortured and
persecuted at the whims of restless and
impulsive men, who acted upon their raging
passions. The powers and principalities of the
air were opposed to those in the household of
faith. Habakkuk
describes in the literal interpretation of
Scripture the tremendous persecution that the
Church will go through after the Separation
takes place. Christians will be rounded up and
slain. According to Revelation, the method of
execution will be beheading, so the guillotine
will most likely be the instrument of execution.
This verse
pertains to the main body of the Church who is
going through the tribulation period and
receiving persecution. After the main body of
the Church is removed, the only disciples left
on the earth will be the Jews and Gentiles who
were saved during the first half of the
tribulation period. God always leaves himself a
witness upon the earth—even when the entire
Church has been raptured to heaven. (Mat 14:25 KJV) And in the fourth
watch of the night Jesus went unto them,
walking on the sea. (Mat 14:25 Prophetic Paraphrase) And in
the middle of the tribulation, Jesus appeared
to the Church, and began to tread the
winepress of the wrath of God. This verse very
briefly alludes to the main harvest rapture of
the Church, by saying that Jesus came to them in
the fourth watch of the night. Jesus will take
the Firstfruits out at midnight, which is the
third watch of the night. Those in the Church
who are “Left Behind” will go through the first
part of the tribulation, which is symbolized by
the period of the third watch or the period from
midnight until 3:00 A.M. The morning star
appears at the time of the fourth watch, and
then the darkest part of the night transpires
between 3:00 A.M. and sunrise. The fourth watch
of the night is the time of Jacob’s trouble, and
it is the time when Antichrist persecutes Jews.
The Main Harvest of the Church has taken place,
and the Antichrist will shift his persecution
from the Church to the Jews. Therefore, the
following verse references the disciples who are
left on the earth, and this does not include the
Church. (Mat 14:26 KJV) And when the
disciples saw him walking on the sea, they
were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and
they cried out for fear. (Mat 14:26 Prophetic Paraphrase)
Moreover, when the disciples looked up and
recognized Jesus treading the winepress of the
wrath of God, they were greatly perplexed and
thought they were seeing an apparition. They
cried out in fear of Jesus. After the main
body of the Church is removed and the 144,000
are sealed, Jesus will tread the winepress of
the wrath of God. There will be many Jews and
Gentiles who will come to know Jesus Christ
during the last half of the tribulation period.
At the very end of the tribulation period, Jesus
will appear to the nations coming in the clouds
with power and great glory. There will be a
remnant of the Jews who will recognize Jesus as
the Messiah. They will be greatly perplexed, as
they have always been taught that Jesus was a
prophet, but not their Messiah. They will see
Jesus visibly with their own eyes, and they will
think they are seeing an apparition. They will
be very fearful, but Jesus will speak to them,
and tell them His identity. (Mat 14:27 KJV) But straightway
Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good
cheer; it is I; be not afraid. (Mat 14:27 Prophetic Paraphrase) But in
truth and sincerity, Jesus spoke to them and
said, “Have courage, I AM, do not be afraid.”
When Jesus
touches His feet on the Mount of Olives, He will
speak to the Jews in truth. He will tell them to
have courage, and He will use the Jewish name of
God, which is I AM, and He will tell them not to
be afraid. There will be a group that will come
forth boldly and will run toward Jesus in the
power of the spirit. In the following verse,
Peter typifies this remnant that will run toward
Jesus in belief and call upon Him to save them.
(Mat 14:28 KJV) And Peter
answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou,
bid me come unto thee on the water. (Mat 14:28 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
the faithful remnant of Jews answered Jesus
and said, “If you are the Messiah, command us
to come to you in the power of the Spirit.”
The faithful
remnant of Jews will recognize Jesus as the
Messiah, and they will ask Him for His
commandment about what they are to do. This is
the order of salvation. We first believe and
then we are to become obedient to the
commandments of Jesus. (Mat 14:29 KJV) And he said,
Come. And when Peter was come down out of the
ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
(Mat 14:29 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
Jesus said, “Come,” and the remnant of Jews
stepped out in accordance with their spirit
salvation and went unto Jesus in the power of
the spirit. At the time
that Jesus sets his feet down on the Mount of
Olives, there will be an earthquake and the
Mount of Olives will split and a great valley
will be created. The ones of the Jews who
recognize Jesus as Messiah, and boldly step out
in faith and run to Him will be saved from the
nations that are seeking to destroy Israel. This
is the time that the nation of Israel will be
saved in a day. This event will take place on
the Day of Atonement at the end of the
seven-year tribulation period. (Mat 14:30 KJV) But when he saw
the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and
beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord,
save me. (Mat 14:30 Prophetic Paraphrase) But
when the remnant of Jews saw all of the
opposing demonic spirits, they were fearful,
and started to fall back and give up, but they
called upon the name of the Lord and said
“Save us.” There will be
great demonic opposition to the Jews, who
recognize Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God,
but they will call upon the power and authority
of Jesus Christ, and they will succeed in the
spiritual battle against the demonic opposition.
(Mat 14:31 KJV) And immediately
Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught
him, and said unto him, O thou of little
faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (Mat 14:31 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
instantly, Jesus stretched forth the mighty
hand of God and rescued the remnant of Jews,
and said unto them, “O ye of little faith, why
did you doubt Me?” Jesus Christ
will reach out to His brethren the Jews and save
them in that coming Day of Atonement. He will
rescue them from the nations seeking to destroy
them, and He will ask them why they had doubted
that He was their True Messiah all this time. He
will chastise them in love for their weak faith
in Him as their Messiah. (Mat 14:32 KJV) And when they
were come into the ship, the wind ceased. (Mat 14:32 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
when they had realized the salvation of their
lives, the contrary demonic spirits ceased
their opposition to them. When the
remnant of Jews are safely in the protection of
Jesus Christ, the demonic spirits will cease
their opposition to the remnant of Jews. (Mat 14:33 KJV) Then they that
were in the ship came and worshipped him,
saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. (Mat 14:33 Prophetic Paraphrase) When
the remnant of Jews were completely redeemed,
they worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ, saying
“You are truly the Son of God, the Messiah of
Israel.” When the
remnant of Jews are completely and totally
redeemed in their earthly bodies of flesh and
blood, they will worship Jesus Christ, and they
will acknowledge openly that He is truly the Son
of God, their Messiah Who had been denied by
them for such a long time. (Mat 14:34 KJV) And when they
were gone over, they came into the land of
Gennesaret.(Mat 14:34 Prophetic Paraphrase) And
when they had passed over into the spirit
filled life, they realized their
inheritance in the lovely and fertile land of
Israel. (i.e., the land flowing with
milk and honey). After the
nation of Israel is saved on that coming Day of
Atonement, they will receive their promised
inheritance in the land of Israel, and the
lovely and fertile land of Israel will once
again provide bountiful harvests. The topography
of the land will be changed and elevated into a
fruitful plain. The land of Israel will run from
the Nile River over to the Euphrates River, and
the twelve tribes of Israel will be greatly
blessed in the land as God’s earthly people.
The Church’s
home will be the heavenly Jerusalem, and the
Jews’ home will be the earthly Jerusalem. The
Gentile nations will walk in the light of the
New Jerusalem, and David will reign in his
position in the heavenly aspect of the kingdom
under Jesus Christ and over the nation of
Israel. (Mat 14:35 KJV) And when the men
of that place had knowledge of him, they sent
out into all that country round about, and
brought unto him all that were diseased; (Mat 14:35 Prophetic Paraphrase) and
when the men of Israel had personal knowledge
of Jesus Christ, they sent out to the
surrounding nations and brought some of all
nations who were defiled with sin unto Jesus.After the
nation of Israel is saved on the Day of
Atonement, the Gentiles of the world who are
represented by the sheep in the sheep and goat
judgment will also enter into the earthly aspect
of the kingdom, with Israel being the premier
nation in the world. The earthly Jerusalem will
be the capital of the world, and the blessings
of God will flow out of this great city to the
nations of the earth. (Mat 14:36 KJV) And besought him
that they might only touch the hem of his
garment: and as many as touched were made
perfectly whole. (Mat 14:36
Prophetic Paraphrase) And this group from
all nations sought Jesus that they might
cling to him and his work, and they were
saved from perishing. The sheep and
goat judgment will take place upon the earth
after Jesus Christ comes back in power and
glory. There will be many Gentiles who will
enter into the earthly aspect of the kingdom.